Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid XRT 2024 Review

Available as the ultimate concoction of genuine accessories, local Santa Fe buyers can choose from two versions of the XRT treatment depending on their needs and budget.

The entry-level offering is the $6990 Adventure Pack, which nets buyers an all-new suspension set-up (springs, dampers, hubs) that adds 30mm of ground clearance, along with satin black 17-inch alloys shod with Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tyres, an alloy skid plate and XRT-branded mud flaps.

Above that is the $9990 Peak Pack, which comes with all the same hardware as well as roof racks and an accompanying platform, integrated sidesteps, a black bonnet protector and matching weathershields.

Neither ensemble is cheap, but there’s no denying Hyundai’s done its homework in trying to make the Santa Fe more capable – this isn’t just a half-hearted lift kit and tyre upgrade.

That said, fitting either pack to any Santa Fe Hybrid makes an arguably already pricey vehicle even dearer.

Our test vehicle, for example, was a top-flight 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy fitted with the Peak Package, a combination worth $84,990 plus on-road costs, and that’s before you opt for obligatory accessories like a dash mat, floor mats or a tow bar.

Even the cheapest plausible combination – a base Santa Fe Hybrid AWD fitted with the Adventure Pack – starts from $65,490 plus ORC.

Hyundai Australia says the XRT packages will also be made available on the cheaper petrol grades at some stage, but you’ll still be looking at a $62,990 plus ORC starting price – unless you’re a massive poser and spec-up a front-drive Santa Fe.

We were stopped in the street on close to a dozen occasions during our time with the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid XRT, with passersby wondering what it was, praising how cool and tough it looked, and asking how it goes and where the mods came from.

It certainly is an impressive-looking unit, especially in the no-cost optional Terracotta Orange hero colour and fitted with the contrasting Peak Pack.

It even drew the praise of five young blokes in an old Toyota LandCruiser mud pig on the way back in from a day out playing in bog holes.

What’s more satisfying, however, is the fact the XRT backs up its enhanced looks with an improved driving experience over the standard Santa Fe, even with those big, chunky all-terrain tyres.

One quick disclaimer: our test vehicle was fitted with Kumho AT52 light truck tyres instead of the standard Pirellis, due to it being one of the first completed XRTs in the country and a supply hiccup with the Scorpions.

Beyond being a bit louder on tarmac, the aggressive rubber did little to impede the XRT’s road manners. In fact, we actually prefer the XRT’s on-road dynamics to the standard model’s, owing to its more composed ride and reduced body roll.

Those new springs and dampers work with the large-volume tyres to iron out smaller bumps and road irregularities better than the standard Santa Fe (which rides on 20s), while recovering faster from bigger hits and compressions, especially at highway speeds.

It’s noticeably firmer than the stock set-up but no less comfortable, nor is there any major grip deficit from the front end when getting a wriggle on.

The same is true off-road, where the XRT is appreciably more stable, predictable and surefooted, not to mention more comfortable thanks to the longer and more progressive stroke of the upgraded suspension.

Where a standard Santa Fe crashes and thuds over lumpy ground, the XRT takes it all in its stride, the suspension and tyres taking the brunt of any rocks, tree roots or holes, while providing acres more traction.

The extra 33mm of ground clearance – 30mm delivered by the new suspension, another 3mm by the beefier tyres – also means you don’t have to wince and wait for the body to bottom out over bigger hits. The XRT delivers a healthy 210mm of total ground clearance versus 177mm for the stock Santa Fe.

Point it at something a bit more technical and you might be surprised at what can be achieved by threading a careful line and engaging Mud terrain mode – the all-wheel drive and traction control systems do a great job of keeping you mobile over loose ground or when lifting a wheel.

A trump card in these situations is the Santa Fe’s hybrid powertrain which, while devoid of low-range gearing, offers oodles of low-end torque and control via the electric motor, which actually did a lot of the heavy lifting up steep inclines or when cross-axling.

Things are even better on sand, particularly the beach, where the hybrid system’s two motive powers are locked together via Sand mode for maximum torque, in tandem with a more aggressive transmission setting and uber-relaxed traction/stability control parameters.

Only once or twice did the stability control attempt to intervene as the XRT sleuthed its way along the wheel tracks of Tim’s Thicket Beach, south of Mandurah, but the intervention was brief and minimal, and we never felt compelled to switch the systems off entirely.

Here the extra clearance meant we didn’t have to worry about dragging the belly or getting beached – pun intended – while the big-volume tyres bag out beautifully to maximise the XRT’s footprint.

While there’s an awful lot to like about the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid XRT, there are a couple of key concessions.

While the XRT is much more capable and versatile than the standard Santa Fe, it’s by no means an answer for the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest, or any other dedicated 4x4 wagon, primarily on the grounds of its (lack of) suspension articulation and still very much road-focused off-road geometry.

Try and take the XRT along a proper 4x4 track and you’ll quickly realise it’s out of its depth as you scrape the sidesteps, belly and bumpers, while wishing for more clearance and suspension reach in the process.

Of course, Prado-poaching and Everest-conquering were a long way from the top of Hyundai’s priority list when developing the XRT, but the prices being asked for the Adventure or Peak packages put the toughened-up Santa Fe in the firing line.

All three are high-riding family haulers offering up to seven seats with off-road intentions, and it’s not as if the Everest in particular isn’t an accomplished black-top cruiser.

Its pricing also opens up the XRT to attack from the reigning road-biased all-terrain SUV king, the Subaru Outback, which offers marginally more ground clearance, comparable angles, sharper dynamics, stronger performance if you opt for a turbo and equal if not more capability for between $8500 and $21,800 less than the cheapest XRT.

Admittedly the Outback doesn’t offer a third row of seats or a hybrid powertrain, but they won’t be prerequisites for every adventurous family.

Another minor detail is the fact the XRT doesn’t quite feel as spritely as a standard Santa Fe owing to the greater inertia and drag of its tyres, plus the extra weight of its accessories in the case of the Peak package.

The difference is only subtle, but it’s enough to notice during overtakes or hilly driving, especially when the hybrid battery is running down and the compact 1.6-litre turbo is left to its own devices.

The light truck tyres fitted to our test rig probably exacerbated these symptoms somewhat but it’s something to be aware of, as is the increased fuel consumption – we averaged roughly 1L/100km more than the standard Calligraphy during day-to-day road driving, but that’s far from unreasonable.

If you have the need or overwhelming desire for a road-biased all-terrain SUV with three rows of seating and a hybrid powertrain, then the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid XRT is realistically in a class of one.

It’s just as good as, if not better than, the standard Santa Fe Hybrid on-road and it’s miles more versatile when off-road. Factor in its macho looks, still-decent fuel consumption and unaffected practicality and you’re presented with a very compelling package indeed.

But there’s no getting around the cost, and it’s the dollar-count that proves the XRT’s biggest downfall.

If it was offered as a standalone variant within the Santa Fe portfolio like in the US it would make more sense and be much easier to recommend, as you wouldn’t be bearing the financial brunt of two sets of wheels, two sets of tyres and two different suspension set-ups as per the current dealer-fit arrangement.

Factory production could feasibly halve the XRT’s $6990/$9990 premium, softening the blow and broadening the appeal.

The odds of that happening, however, are remote, so think long and hard about whether you can justify the XRT packages’ price tags. If you can, we’d opt for the Adventure pack on the grounds of affordability, as well as the extra sill clearance afforded by omitting the sidesteps.

2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid XRT at a glance:
Price: From $65,490 plus on-road costs
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol-electric
Output: 132kW/265Nm (electric motor: 44kW/264Nm)
Combined output: 172kW/367Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.6L/100km (ADR)
CO2: 128g/km (ADR)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2024)

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